Another busy week for Atlanta United continues on Wednesday night when it welcomes rival Orlando City SC to Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Atlanta is coming off an impressive 4-2 win against FC Cincinnati this past weekend. The 5-Stripes will try and build on that momentum in the third and final home match of this most recent homestand. Wednesday’s opponent Orlando is one of the hottest teams in the league, as the Lions are unbeaten in their last 12 matches dating back to March. They earned a 1-0 victory against Portland this past weekend. It’s the second meeting of the season, with Orlando taking the first one 3-0 to close out the month of April. Let’s take a look at the Tools to the Match presented by Home Depot against Orlando City SC.
Continue positive momentum
It had been quite a while since Atlanta experienced that winning feeling again this past Sunday night against FC Cincinnati. Four different goal scorers found the back of the net and the team weathered Cincinnati’s comeback attempts and stayed strong, physically and mentally, to earn the three points. On just a couple of days rest, the 5-Stripes need to continue to build on that momentum this Wednesday. Defensively, they blocked a season-high six shots and showed fight and resiliency in their own box to secure the win. Offensively, the team produced its highest xG number of the year at 4.29 and tied its season-high with four goals scored. If Atlanta can continue to build on that foundation and get even more comfortable in this new formation and style, it will have a chance to take points off another top Eastern Conference team.
Don’t allow midfield duo to dictate tempo
Orlando’s incredible run of form has it surging up the Eastern Conference table into fourth place ahead of Wednesday’s midweek match. The Lions feature one of the toughest defenses in the league, with goalkeeper Pedro Gallese already collecting seven clean sheets on the campaign. But the engine of this team is the midfield pairing of Cesar Araujo and Eduard Atuesta. Both of them are seasoned MLS veterans and they have been instrumental in connecting Orlando’s attack and defense this season. Atlanta’s central midfield will have to dictate the tempo of the match and not allow these two to take over from central midfield. They each have box-to-box qualities as well, tying for the team lead with three assists each. Whoever wins the central midfield battle on Wednesday night will probably take the three points.
Utilize the team’s speed in transition
It felt like this past Sunday, the 5-Stripes turned the tables on their opponent. They scored first, inside the first 15 minutes. They tacked on to the lead. They utilized early balls over the top or through balls to take advantage of the team’s incredible speed in transition. And that style seemed to suit several of the team’s players leading to an all around excellent team performance. Alexey Miranchuk recorded two assists, Jay Fortune was flying all over the pitch. Latte Lath got in behind several times and could have scored himself. If Atlanta can build on that performance and continue to utilize the team’s speed in this new found system, it has shown the quality to play against and beat any side in the league. It even scored off two set pieces for the first time since July 2024 last weekend against Cincinnati.
Fans can tune in on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. ET when the action kicks off at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. To hear the action on radio, tune into Sports Radio 92.9 The Game (English) or La Mejor – AM 1600 (Spanish).
